Alcaeus

This article is about the lyric poet. For other uses, see Alcaeus (disambiguation).
Alcaeus and Sappho, Attic red-figure calathus, c. 470 BC, Staatliche Antikensammlungen (Inv. 2416)

Alcaeus of Mytilene (/ælˈsiːəs/; Ancient Greek: Ἀλκαῖος ὁ Μυτιληναῖος, Alkaios ho Mutilēnaios; c. 625/620 – c. 580 BC)[1][2] was a lyric poet from the Greek island of Lesbos who is credited with inventing the Alcaic stanza. He was included in the canonical list of nine lyric poets by the scholars of Hellenistic Alexandria. He was a contemporary of Sappho, with whom he may have exchanged poems. He was born into the aristocratic governing class of Mytilene, the main city of Lesbos, where he was involved in political disputes and feuds.

  1. ^ Carey, C. (2016-03-07). "Alcaeus (1), lyric poet". Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.254. ISBN 9780199381135.
  2. ^ "Alcaeus | Greek poet". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2019-10-17.